Star Wars Weekly Buzz: TLJ Reshoots Are Not Happening, No Unaltered Original Trilogy Release and More
On this week’s Buzz: We try to clarify several recent Star Wars rumors, including the potential The Last Jedi reshoots, the release of an unaltered version of the Original Trilogy and more. Also we share some cool interviews with Empire’s End author Chuck Wendig, the Oscar nominated for Rogue One sound team, some more bits about the Rogue One Blu-ray and more.
There’s been lots of rumors and speculations lately, so today we will start the buzz with some clarifications regarding them.
First we start with The Last Jedi reshoots rumor that we shared yesterday. As we pointed out, it was very possible that this casting call was about Avengers: Infinity War. Now JediNews got a concrete confirmation that this is indeed the case:
Lucasfilm Is Not Casting For ‘Episode VIII’ In Scotland – https://t.co/GInTM4vkvF #StarWars pic.twitter.com/omHtqGnhGJ
— Jedi News (@JediNewsUK) February 23, 2017
The main reason that made us run that rumor was the fact that Mark Hamill was spotted in the UK with his beard back on. But now Hamill himself revealed that he is in the UK for another project:
Selfies w/a #FlockOfFutureFilmmakers at the airport-Not only 2 make them happy, but 2 plant the seeds of future employment! #HurryHireHamill pic.twitter.com/H7eL12C0PV
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) February 23, 2017
So there you have it, no The Last Jedi reshoots are happening at that point.
Next is a recent rumor claiming that an unaltered Original Trilogy release is coming later this year. This was mainly sparkled by Lucasfilm’s recent announcement that there will be a special surprise for the fans during the opening panel at Star Wars Celebration Orlando, about the 40th anniversary of Star Wars.
When asked about this Pablo Hidalgo himself put the rumors to rest:
Celebrating 20 years of that unaltered re-release rumor.
— Beloved By Reddit (@pablohidalgo) February 23, 2017
@Shatterhand1701 As far as I know, there’s only one person who could make this happen and he hasn’t seemed all that interested.
— Beloved By Reddit (@pablohidalgo) February 23, 2017
@JoeRobinsonUK It ain’t up to me, you know. As far as I know, it’s only up to one person and he’s never seem all that interested.
— Beloved By Reddit (@pablohidalgo) February 23, 2017
It’s clear that Pablo is talking about George Lucas. (Clarification: I am in no way saying that we are not getting an unaltered cut because of George Lucas. It is more like the people involved are respectful to him and his decisions.)
Also we have to remember that FOX owns the rights for A New Hope in perpetuity in all media worldwide, and if Disney wants to make these they need to strike a deal with them first. Well the good news is that the mystery of that special surprise during the panel remains.
And here’s a very cool article explaining the whole situation about this:
They actually got to name people at Disney AND Fox who confirmed the original negatives of Star Wars are conformed to the SEs. https://t.co/I1ByAWnlpP
— Jeremy Conrad (@ManaByte) February 24, 2017
We’ve essentially confirmed that Disney’s current 4K scan of the film is the most recent revised version (essentially the latest “special edition”), not the original theatrical edition. What’s more, Disney’s director of Library Restoration and Preservation, Theo Gluck was asked about Star Wars and reported that the original cut negative for the film currently exists in its “SE” configuration only.
In addition, 20th Century Fox’s Senior Vice President of Library and Technical Services, Shawn Belston confirmed that all of the “trims” removed from the original cut negative (in the mid-1990s, to create the SEs) still exist as well. So what does all that mean to you?
In summary: While it is essentially technically true that the ‘77 cut negative “no longer exists” in its original state, it is also technically true that it could be re-built if so desired. All of the needed film elements still survive and have been preserved. Nevertheless, if one takes Gluck and Belston at their word (and knowing them as we do, we certainly do) this would seem to be fairly official word that no such reconstruction work has been done to date. Thus, it appears that there is little chance of the original 1977 Star Wars being released on any home video format in 2017.
Make sure to read the whole article here.
There are a few other false reports intentionally being posted on the web (unlike the two above).
First there is a certain Casting site that has been around spreading false info in attempt to get clients since the start of filming of The Force Awakens. They recently stated that Episode IX starts filming in the summer. That is not true.
Nope, #StarWars #EpisodeIX doesn’t start filming this summer. The casting site spreading the news has been posting false info since TFA.
— SWNN (@StarWarsNewsNet) February 22, 2017
Also there are at least 2 false rumors about Benicio Del Toro’s character from The Last Jedi, posted by a certain youtuber. They are not true.
Gee, the false Benicio Del Toro rumors keep spreading like wild fire. Even Yahoo reported it. Spread the word that they are fake. 🙂
— SWNN (@StarWarsNewsNet) February 20, 2017
Oh and the trailer description from the same guy is 100% wrong. We don’t know what the trailer will be, but we have ways of checking if a certain info is wrong. 😉
Now let’s move onto the real Star Wars stuff.
Finnish actor Joonas Suotamo who played Chewbacca in the action sequences in The Force Awakens and was recently announced as part of the untitled Han Solo movie cast, shared a touching message on his Instagram, thankful for the role of a lifetime.
As you know, Peter Mayhew was used for Chewie’s close-up shots in The Force Awakens, but from this message it seems that Suotamo will take over the whole performance for Han Solo.
After this message the actor got a huge wave of warm welcome and support, and to express his gratitude he shared a photo with him during The Last Jedi filming at Pinewood:
Next we have a few tidbits about the Rogue One Blu-ray release.
Japan will also have several Rogue One Blu-ray versions. One of them is particularly interesting – a steelcase box with several character prints and a Death Trooper figure (click on the image below to see the one with the trooper):
#RogueOne Japan will also be offering several BluRay versions; one includes a collector’s steelcase box set with a Deathtrooper figure pic.twitter.com/8pg5SIEzWp
— SW Comlink (SWNN) (@StarWarsComlink) February 24, 2017
Many people are speculating that because of the lack of any deleted scenes and director’s commentary on the Blu-ray, there will be another Rogue One release later this year. Unfortunately this is probably indeed what will going to happen.
BluRay pros @thedigitalbits are expecting a Rogue One collector’s edition with deleted scenes & director commentary https://t.co/mFjypzZ0rN pic.twitter.com/HEaHOezg3L
— SW Comlink (SWNN) (@StarWarsComlink) February 23, 2017
The guys from Yakface spotted something funny on the newly released Rogue One Blu-ray cover:
Not a #rogueone AT-ACT #fail 😉 pic.twitter.com/pn75yATCqT
— Yakface (@yak_face) February 22, 2017
Speaking of AT-ACTs here’s a better look at the very cool looking AT-ACT driver via Jedi Bibliothek:
#RogueOne #StarWars another look at the briefly seen AT-ACT driver from the incredibuilds book / more pages here https://t.co/RjJdegXiZ4 pic.twitter.com/ng15r3Vysb
— SW Comlink (SWNN) (@StarWarsComlink) February 20, 2017
The latest issue of Star Wars Insider has a great tribute to Carrie Fisher:
#starwars #starwarsinsider latest issue of the Star Wars Insider is a tribute to Carrie Fisher (newsstand vers. on left / & subscriber ver.) pic.twitter.com/lMuZyeuH0i
— SW Comlink (SWNN) (@StarWarsComlink) February 22, 2017
Also Billie Lourd shared on Instagram some photos honoring her mother.
We miss you Carrie.
Chuck Wendig’s closing chapter of the Aftermath trilogy is out now and StarWars.com spoke with the author about Emipre’s End and what it means for the new canon:
The author of the Aftermath trilogy, @ChuckWendig, reflects on his saga and the Empire’s End.https://t.co/KtxlWIXlLE pic.twitter.com/oIRvD2nV78
— Star Wars (@starwars) February 22, 2017
Also the official site spoke with Steve Evans, Design and Development for Star Wars at Hasbro, about the special 40th anniversary Black Series wave. Check it out:
Inside @HasbroNews‘ 40th anniversary Star Wars figures.https://t.co/kR6yqwhhiy pic.twitter.com/Af2E0tTNtR
— Star Wars (@starwars) February 23, 2017
And here are two ANH posters for the anniversary that are actually previously rejected concepts:
A New Hope 40th Anniversary poster art (rejected concepts) | by @mark_raats #StarWars #ANewHope #art pic.twitter.com/aEtl2Ik68S
— StarWars Art Gallery (@SW_ArtGallery) February 23, 2017
The Oscar nominated team for their sound work on Rogue One discuss specifics on what went into Rogue One’s sound design, working with director Gareth Edwards on his first “Star Wars” feature, and more.
How the #RogueOne post sound team expanded the #StarWars sonic universe: https://t.co/OBTcnOYL6O @skywalkersound @AudioJeney #Oscars2017 pic.twitter.com/fwldsu2jgt
— Sound & Picture (@soundandpicture) February 21, 2017
Jedi Bibliothek reports that The Making of Rogue One book has been planned for an Oct. 3 release:
#StarWars The Making of Rogue One book has been planned for an Oct. 3 release, authored by Josh Kushins who also wrote The Art of Rogue One https://t.co/znGPAwpIXP
— SW Comlink (SWNN) (@StarWarsComlink) February 20, 2017
Mark Hamill being funny as always. Yep, he had a chance for an Oscar nomination if it wasn’t for J.J. Abrams and his idea of speech.
.@HamsterHashtags #JJsPointers #SlowlyTurnRemoveHoodButDontStartYourLengthyOscarWorthyMonologueUntilYouGetToThatRockOverThere #SilenceSpeaks pic.twitter.com/kpTboveiow
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) February 22, 2017
And lastly here’s something that we’ve heard recently. We’ll have more on this later today.
We are hearing that the title for the #HanSolo film will be revealed during D23 in July (14-16). The event will be much bigger this year. https://t.co/Lo1aRCwjhX
— SWNN (@StarWarsNewsNet) February 22, 2017
Stay tuned for more next week.
With contribution by @starwarscomlink
Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.
Born on April 24, 1980.
Ok I wont use the word Hate… but this does help fuel my negativity towards George. Let it go man… you’ve already handed it off to Disney. Whatever weird grip you still have on restoring the originals. I know you’re bitter a sizable part of the fans hate them but that’s no reason not to honor the originals!
Sorry, you’re basing this on…..?
The article..?
Which says Lucas is preventing it in which paragraph?
Err that’s hard to point to but it’s around the part where Twitter starts asking Pablo about it. Even SWNN reads into it that clearly they are indicating GL.
“It’s clear that Pablo is talking about George Lucas. Also we have to remember that FOX owns the rights for A New Hope in perpetuity in all media worldwide, and if Disney wants to make these they need to strike a deal with them first. Well the good news is that the mystery of that special surprise during the panel remains.”
That part.
Can’t see the Pablo thing from work, so I’m going off the quoted portion from Gluck and Belston. The good news is that, no shit, the elements still exist despite what Lucas absurdly claimed. I suspect any reluctance is more out of respect, and Disney/LFL not wanting to piss all over the man right after he bowed out, and the issue of sorting out a deal with Fox, than Lucas having any real sway here. Can you HONESTLY see Disney agreeing to purchase the franchise with those kinds of restrictions on what they can and can’t do with their purchase?
The Pablo thing states that only one person can make it happen and he has never seemed interested.
That person quite obviously being George Lucas. Come on, don’t be disingenuous. You know it, I know it, we all know it.
Yes, I know. He said he couldn’t see it at work so I was telling him what it said.
They already threw out his treatments for the sequel trilogy, they just need to go all the way and release the GOUT on Blu-ray.
Personally I can’t blame him for the way the fans reacted over the PT. I see my kids having better tantrums to be honest and there is still a hatred that exists towards them.
Don’t get me wrong I would love a copy of the originals.
Lucas made the announcement that the SEs would be the only version years before TPM came out though.
Yeah but that is at a point he could of been convinced otherwise. Well beyond that now…
I don’t see how one matters to the other.
Well the guy is only human and is entitled to hold a grudge for all its faults, but imagine your in his shoes and what you’ve worked upon is totally shredded to pieces. Unfortunately the redeeming parts of the PT are never spoken about, but instead tainted by the faults, to the point that some parts that are not even CGI are believed to be by the masses.
Though he didn’t need to sell to Disney and could of sat back and left us all in the lurch with no more Star Wars until he passed away. So he can’t hate fas as much as some people believe.
that would be very petty.
True – but then have you read some of the articles on the internet.
Yeah, I was on theforce.net forums in 2000 and on. I am aware. Still not a valid reason.
There was no valid reason for the fans to throw the rattle out of the pram. Comments like he’s raped my childhood and other crap is what backed him into a corner.
I agree. two wrongs don’t make a right.
And you are entirely speculating. We dont know if that is why.
No we don’t know the reason why, though we do know that GL views the special editions as his true vision for HIS films. That should be reason enough.
He isn’t reading this. You don’t have to suck up.
And no, it shouldn’t. If considers that his true vision, fine. No reason to keep the original from everyone.
besides, he has been known to make mistakes. From time to time.
Not sucking up.
Think your reply proves my original point though. He doesn’t need to release the originals if he considers them flawed, he considers himself an artist anyway and if he truly believes it then maybe that’s the reason. There is no financial incentive, more so now then ever.
You are proving mine right there.
I’ve been pretty reasonable about this so if you couch my comment about you sucking (since you are defending his every decision) as overreacting then you don’t know the meaning of the term.
It is his choice. It’s also the wrong one, in my view. I believe in fairness and he isn’t being far to people who have supported his work for decades.
But oh well. Life goes on.
If you say so, personally I view it as being rude. You believe in fairness and yet overreacted with a childish comment of sucking up……but I’m the one overreacting because in your view I’ve defended everything GL has done……..wow…
“Unfortunately the redeeming parts of the PT are never spoken about, but instead tainted by the faults”
What’s that at the end? Yes indeed, its referencing faults in the PT.
Life does indeed go on and people need to move on. There’s got to be plenty of VHS copies around, mine are packed someplace I’ll never find them again……but the point is just go online, people are already restoring them.
It doesn’t need to be an official release.
It wasn’t a childish comment. It was a critique of this idea that we must always bow down to Lucas’ wishes with no pushback. You can pushback without being ugly like PT haters were. You don’t have to submit to whatever Lucas wants (especially with your baseless speculation that he is holding them back as a petty means of revenge.)
This is way too long a conversation for my simple POV of “Give us the option” but I guess some people don’t want an option. Good for you.
I don’t want a pirated copy. I don’t steal.
And yes, they exist online, but I am will wait for an official release because I support Star Wars. I have lived this long, so I will be just fine.
If you say so, sounds more like your covering yourself with a reasonable point of view.
Baseless speculation on the fact he’s only human, something people seem to forget, and that he views the special editions as his true vision.
All I have are reasonable points of view.
He can view them like that all he wants. But it’s a shame the original Star Wars is not easily available.
Agreed, for whatever the reason its a pity. Hopefully one day.
Where did that come from? Hell it proves my original point of over reacting by the fans.
He considers himself an artist, for right or wrong, so maybe he views the original as flawed. Its this view that he’s keeping them from the masses and we as fans have a right to them that is flawed.
“GL views the special editions as his true vision for HIS films. That should be reason enough.”
That’s where it came from. He isn’t infallible. I’m not overreacting at all. I don’t clamor for the originals. I still have the VHS if I want to pull them out.
But merely asking for the OPTION has you saying things like that. You don’t need to defend his decisions for him. I know all about what he said.
But he also said he made changes that they didn’t have the money or tech or time to do back then and we know that’s false because he changed a lot more.
Give people the option. Not too much too ask.
Make a shit film. Profit from it. Ignore fan feedback. Grow angry over criticisms and start telling off the people who paid to have your personable Empire built in your likeness. Make an even worse movie which incorporates a light saber tone poem. Look smug in discussing the your tone poem.
Cap off the trilogy with the most bad assistance villain of all time whining in James Earl Jones’s voice.
George Lucas ran Star Wars during the prequel Era as Donald Trump would. There are reasons why people reacted the way they did.
I total agree, but dragging it out only continued to allow GL to become entrenched in his own world. Those fans, me included, that continued to view re-releases at the cinema, dvd, blu-rays, etc, didn’t have to spend money. He didn’t force us to buy into his Empire.
However, imagine what the position could of been today if the hatred, more than likely fanned by the internet, had calmed down by the time of the sale to Disney.
You are correct. None of us were forced to buy.
And we’d have different films then what we’ve already received if people had chilled. But he continued to stoke that ire up until the sale.
I believe that’s because the hatred continued, it was in effect a vicious circle with both sides as bad as each other. I’m not totally defending his actions, only trying to give reason to his behaviour beyond him being an @ss that others put out.
I wrote a small clarification in the article regarding that George Lucas comment.
*Yawn* Totally not surprised. Not sure where folks keep getting this whole “The original OT is coming” stuff from, but you should’ve have really learned to let it go by now. GL told us all a very long time ago that it was never going to happen. Get over it.
He’s not immortal… there’s still a chance! We just may have to wait a 20+ years.
I’d bet more $$$ on there being a clause in the Disney/GL contract that stipulates that it won’t happen. Also, there is the whole Fox thing…that’s kind of a big deal there.
I’m not holding my breath, nor do I really care to. The original cut lives on in my memories of 1977. 😉
If GL really did leave a clause like that… man. Insert unkind words here. 😛
That’s a pretty hefty contract there…
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a1242d280c0af28d80315bdc225f4a37559cf9d7685cd354d39f0501de344d87.jpg
It’s a pretty hefty company, with pretty hefty franchises, pretty hefty variety of divisions, and pretty hefty licensing and merchandise deals.
Re: “If GL really did leave a clause like that… man. Insert unkind words here.”
So “insert KIND words here”…IF GL DIDN’T?!
Seriously, absolutely NOTHING to back that suspicion up.
Well no I’m still generally not a fan of GL regardless of this supposed clause.
Re: “regardless of this supposed clause”
Let me fix that for you:
“regardless of this imaginary clause”
Re: “no I’m still generally not a fan of GL ”
I get that…but that doesn’t justify making things up to dislike about Lucas.
Well I thought during the conversation it was made clear it was an assumption that very well could be wrong. He put forward an idea. I was saying it would be horrible…. IF true.
There are enough pitchforks brandished against George that people don’t need to be making things up (imagining) “if true”.
There’s zero evidence for this claim.
Agreed… like I said. If such a thing existed it would be awful. I’m in the camp Disney wouldn’t have agreed to that… but who knows.
Understood & agree that Disney wouldn’t allow.
However, I also seriously doubt that George would do that. He’d talked about his whole ~”letting go of SW / passing on to others to continue”. It doesn’t seem he’s that (overly!) invested in where things go from here. As well, I’ve never seen George as mean spirited/petty/vindictive, which is what something like that could be interpreted as.
Again, DISNEY. Can you REALLLLLLY see Disney signing off of a clause that limited what they can and cannot do with something they just paid $4b for?
Regardless, they don’t own the distribution rights.
And with the money they knew they’d make off the deal anyways, yes…I do see them signing off on that. They’ve already made the money spent and more, so I doubt they are sweating it much.
The distribution issue will be solved. Nobody gets to make ANY money if they can’t play nice, and it’s certainly not unprecedented for two studios to work this kind of thing out. We’ll have to agree to disagree on the rest, because I can’t see
Like I said, I doubt the D is sweating it much. They’ve made what…about $10-12B on Star Wars merchandising alone in the last year and a half? Doubtful they care much for the relatively paltry sales that an unaltered OT on a declining format would bring in, especially considering the time and money it would take just to produce the thing in the first place. Not sure it would make good business sense.
I think they do get rights to every film but the original Star Wars eventually though. It may be sometime in 2020. Fox will always own A New Hope though.
LOL! I just mentioned that to you in another comment. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
JINX!
I can. Lucas didn’t need to unload Lucasfilm. He wanted to. I’m sure he was able to dictate some of the terms to his liking. We’re not talking about straddling Disney with a laundry list of demands, but rather a couple things that he was adamant about. Disney would be unlikely to decline the acquisition because of something like this.
That’s probably why we won’t see a legit Holiday Special release anytime soon either. Not that we really need one….
Re: “I can. Lucas didn’t need to unload Lucasfilm. He wanted to. ”
And I can *imagine* (which is all you’re doing here w/this fabrication) him NOT doing this.
Re-posting what you wrote with a tweak:
Disney didn’t need to purchase Lucasfilm.
Disney wanted to.
Adding – Disney wanted to under terms that would best suit them. Lucas wanted to retire & let SW “live on” under someone else’s direction.
You’re sort of missing the point with your own “fabrication” that nobody was really in the position to unilaterally dictate terms. Do you honestly think Disney would walk away from the purchase of Lucasfilm and its properties because Lucas had a few things he wanted to make sure would happen (or not happen)? Not a chance.
Re: “nobody was really in the position to unilaterally dictate terms”
Never said that.
Re: “missing the point with your own “fabrication” ”
But I’m not digging into my imagination to make a claim.
My “re-posting” was to point out that exactly what you said about Lucas’ position could be said about Disney.
My comment about Lucas wanting to retire & let SW “live on” – well, that wasn’t pulled out of some orifice, it came from Lucas himself & I take him at his word.
It’s “fabrication” … because it’s just coming from your imagination with zero evidence to back it up.
Sure, you could say “Lucas specified in the contract that in the end we find out that Jar Jar trained Snoke!”….as there’s as much evidence to back that up.
I see nothing besides your imagination to back this up.
Look, I get it – you sound like you’re one of the “angry at Lucas” mob members…who wants to imagine some nefarious last ditch horror he’s inflicted on you. I just doubt that, as there’s ZERO evidence.
“I’d bet more $$$ on there being a clause in the Disney/GL contract that stipulates that it won’t happen.”
I think that’s the most likely scenario.
It just seems like such a weird thing to deny people. I understand that he didn’t get to the make the OT the way he wanted to back in the day. I just think there is no reason to withhold the fans the version they prefer.
My guess is that if we hear anything concrete and official, it won’t be until 2020, at which time the rights to I-III & V-VI will be up in the air and possibly back to Disney. At that point it might be easier for Disney/Fox to swing a deal on IV, since that will be the only one that Fox will retain the rights to.
Disney only owns the rights to all films moving forward from the 2012 purchase, so I don’t think the films cold be released if Disney wanted to. But then again…if FOX wants to, I suppose it could happen. Who knows…
Well, essentially a great big “duh-doi” the original elements still exist. Don’t care what Lucas said, I’ve been saying for a decade – the guy kept EVERYTHING, there’s no way he threw out the excised pieces of neg, everybody should have known that.
Disappointing that the powers that be have decided not to produce an original version for the 40th anniversary, and it kinda makes me wonder exactly what that 4k version is; new scan or just upscaled version based on the existing (awful) master.
Yes, Cranky we know. You keep track of everything you say in order to say you were right, no matter how long it took.
You savor your I told you so’s, even when no one cares about what it is you saved up years to announce it on an Internet Star Wars news site.
It’s probably the case that the special edition effects were rendered/finished in 2K (still are for most blockbusters up to last year), so unless they re-render them some scenes will necessarily be upscaled.
So, it is Lucas who prevents the unaltered editions to be released. Pablo obviously dosen’t say it out loud, but it’s pretty self evident who might be that “one guy who isn’t interested”… He probably stipulated it to defend the subpar special editions.
But guess what? We want to see 70s and 80s movies and not 70s and 80s movies with crappy CGI “enhancements”.
Yeah I’m not going to beat a dead horse. It’s disappointing but I’m not surprised either. GL has knack for that. I can at least thank him for starting Star Wars and selling Star Wars. Hamry’s stuff works well enough I guess and as technology in the home get’s better so will fan’s efforts.
I think that’s the best take-away from all of this. With today’s computer capabilities, a lot of what we want is going to be fan-generated. I’m a big Tolkien fan, but I thought the Hobbit movies were awful. Jackson just took far too many liberties adding in his own material to the point where it massively distorted the tone and pace of the original narrative. Just a few weeks after the last movie was released on Blu-Ray, a really high-quality fan edit appeared online which features only scenes that originated from Tolkien.
At the end of the day, the market will find a way to deliver what people want.
FInd the Silver Screen edition of Star Wars (ANH) on torrent trackers, the closest we’ll ever have.
“But.., but…, reshoots are normal, every major movie has them, it’s routine”… So basically, as I’ve always believed, nope, they are not. Glad they did them though, R1 was a decent Star Wars movie.
reshoots are normal. rewriting up to 40% of a film, not so much.
PICK UPS are normal, reshoots shouldn’t be. The former is “we need an insert here”, the latter is “we went into production with a release date, but without a script that worked and just hoped we could pull a movie out of our collective rear ends in editing”. It’s a shit way to make a movie that has unfortunately become the norm for big studios it seems.
“went into production with a release date but without a finished script and hoped pull out a movie out their butts in editing.”
You just described the making of ANH. I know it’s easy to be jaded about modern Hollywood but let’s not pretend everything was perfect before. Further, if the studios didn’t care they wouldn’t bother to spend millions of dollars to try and make a film better. They’d just shove it out without a second thought.
Right, and Lucas partner at the time, the film’s editor was largely responsible for making something usable out of the ****show, removing a lot of garbage Lucas lensed in the process.
See my reply above, but reshoots can be something as simple as an actor not quite emoting right or a technical problem that causes a reshoot of an existing scene to happen. It doesn’t even mean anything has to be rewritten.
Heck, it could even be something as simple as the blocking of the actors be awkward enough to reshoot.
No, reshoots are completely normal. And they will happen. These specific rumors, however, are false.
But yeah, Rogue One’s reshoots were obviously more intensive than usual.
Pickups are no the same as reshoots…
By today’s internet standard, you are correct.
bing bing bing! We have a winner!
No, they aren’t. Pickups are usually small little additions, sometimes even additions to existing scenes that need more dialogue or an intro sequence etc.
Reshoots are when you… reshoot an existing scene, possible because of a technical problem, or maybe the director or producer thinks it’s very important to change the tone of the scene, or something to that effect.
There are almost always some reshoots in ADDITION to pickups.
Mostly to the last act of the movie. Not anything about making the movie more kiddy-ish. either.
No, they are routine.
Horse, meet dead.
oh disney, please stop with the double dips. we’re on to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY2T_fDQi4g
hehe – that’s great!
Gads it’s annoying when they do this.
I’ve held off on buying TFA because of this. Once the movies are released in 4K they’ll get my money. However, I suspect they’ll release 4K 1st print, then a year later the “collectors editions” w/deleted scenes commentary…so will be screwed again by the dreaded triple dip. 😉
They always will, no stopping the double dip !
4K release will be the next dip, which I hope is the “remaining surprise ” for the opening panel. Am hoping it will be a release for all Star Wars movies. I’ll be in on that !
It’s not that petty to want the option to watch the originals, the ones that started it all, the ones seen countless times as a child.
It doesn’t hurt anyone if they are out there.
Re: “It doesn’t hurt anyone if they are out there”
Technically they ARE “out there”.
I own a pretty damned good copy of them – laserdisc “definitive edition”. 😉
That’s not even worth responding to and you know it.
Dead technology.
Re: “Dead technology”
Dead, no – both of my laserdisc players work just fine. 😉
I’ve actually captured (very high quality, couple grand, video card) scenes that look amazing.
I’m tempted to create a high quality digital copy from them to share.
“dead technology” means it has been rendered obsolete, no longer widely available.
No one said the studio was “morally obligated” to release every movie on a new format. But it is clear that there is more demand for this than the average movie.
I don’t see why some people are so against having the option of having the original movies. Purely as cinematic preservation, if nothing else.
Re: “rendered obsolete”
There are a LOT of great movies that aren’t on bluray (/UHD) or “no longer in print” even on DVD.
Just pointing out that for those of us who do have copies, we can still play them.
Re: “No one said the studio was “morally obligated” ”
I didn’t say YOU said that…but trust me, plenty of people argue this – the studios(/Lucas) *owe* it to the fans.
Re: “Purely as cinematic preservation”
There are so many great movies from the past that aren’t released on bluray or bluray UHD. Heck, many that never made DVD release.
But what comes into question is which version is preserved?
Ridley Scott might not prefer “cinematic preservation”.
Obviously a great many of us rabid fans want original edit – but would you complain if it was the “cleaned up” & colour corrected where the mattes on ships were less noticeable (as I mentioned)? Or as a *purist* want to see something closer to old releases with those big boxes around the ships? [ Note: I believe that the clean-up actually gave us something closer to what was seen “on screen” & matte flaws were more predominant on video tape/DVD copies? ]
Do those who only ever saw the SE versions have a *right* (know you didn’t say “right”…*deserve*?) to have those also released in perpetuity?
How about Blade Runner – think it’s basically 3x primary versions that were released. Should all 3x be released on Bluray UHD ( & later 8K format )?
There’s another case where the director (& a great many rabid Blade Runner fans such as myself) didn’t prefer the theatrical? Is it ok for the original/theatrical to disappear or should it become gold standard?
If they brought out a Extra Special Edition – where the CGI additions were cleaned-up & Greedo didn’t shoot & Sebastian Shaw was restored – maybe a great many fans would prefer that.
I get what you’re saying….& generally agree. More options is usually a very good thing.
But at a certain point you have to ask how many different versions are entitled to move forward in history on new formats – and who gets to decide. Even amongst SW fans I can imagine there being a divide.
I think the original Star Wars are “entitled”
I want to see the original edit released on Bluray UHD.
However, I’d also like to see the SE released ( blaspheming further that I’d like to see it edited & CGI updated ).
I just find it tiresome, the “George Lucas raped my childhood with the special editions!” type of responses I read when the topic comes up.
I’ll sign the next petition I see that asks for original edit release.
At the same
time, I won’t lose any sleep & will not get worked-up over things
if only SE is released ( yes, I’d buy it on UHD, all over again ).
I’ve never heard that in regards to the SE, only the prequels. Regardless, it’s a dumb comment.
It doesn’t hurt at all..but if you think of it from a marketing standpoint. How many people outside of the Star Wars community will buy “unaltered” special editions of Star Wars movies. It would be a waste of resources just to please some fans nostalgic purposes.
On top of this (valid point), the SE versions actually blend with PT more, which is what a majority of consumers (outside us rabid SW fans) would notice more.
Exactly
We don’t know for sure, so to say it would be a waste goes against that point. We don’t know.
Nope we don’t know..and it looks like we never will.
i wouldn’t say that
Movies will soon going to be released on 4k and maybe 8k blu-ray. It will be the perfect opportunity for an unaltered release.
Re: “and maybe 8k blu-ray”
That’ll be a LONG time from now. As well with the scans from negatives they have (condition/quality of original negatives) … I doubt that much beyond 4K will be worth-while. Diminishing returns & all from source *resolvable* resolution to scan.
4K (well…UHD technically) will be what we’re gonna live with for the foreseeable future.
The 2020 Olympics will be broadcasted
Re: “The 2020 Olympics will be broadcasted”
And there will be no 8K bluray in 2020 – so what’s your point?
They’re not going to re-master Star Wars to broadcast some crappy overly compressed artefact riddled version over netflix or youtube.
Forget the fckin 8K then. My point is that movies are going to be released on UHD very soon, and that would be the perfect opportunity for the unaltered edition release.
Re: “released on UHD very soon”
They’re already late-to-the-game.
Forget Rogue One – I find it very annoying TFA still hasn’t been released already on UHD bluray.
It’s Disney wanting to milk these for every dollar.
And…I agree it’s perfect opportunity.
Personally, I hope that they just release a “dual version”, as has become popular with many movies that have multiple versions, include both SE & original edit in single package. People can decide which one to watch …or heck *gift* away the one they don’t like.
It’s come straight from Lucasfilm that they are uninterested in releasing unaltered versions. I’d say move on…..
There is only one guy who’s uninterested, as told so by Pablo.
Why move on? The OT’s original version is part of cinematic history and it’s more than shameful that it is unavailable on contemporary technology.
To finally get them released is a cause worth spending some time on imo…
I think it was a bigger waste to spend millions of dollars creating shitty CGI for the Special Editions. Casual fans won’t notice the difference between the versions, but most dedicated fans will appreciate the release of the originals.
Let’s see…Lucas is 72…life expectancy for an American male is about 79…according to my calculations we should expect a release of the theatrical editions of Star Wars in about 7 years!
oh god, what a morbid post
That’s awful
Yeah, like everyone else said, that’s horrible!
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(You should make it 9 years, they’ll need time to reconstruct and clean them up AFTER he dies, before they can release them…)
2025 is gonna be lit.
If you have to ask… you’ll never understand.
I guess not..I didn’t have the luxury of seeing the OT in theaters..but I did grow up with the unaltered versions..and welcomed the special editions because it at times added more to the overall experience.
There was literally nothing in the special editions which added to the ‘experience’. The films were perfect as they were.
The celebration of the different systems introduced in the PT when the empire was defeated..the new shots of Cloud city..the scenery and ambiance of cloud city added simply by opening up windows..this is just some..but it added a lot.
Things were perfect as they were at the time..but it was also a time where Star Wars was solely 3 movies..a greater universe has been introduced..more things to add to the story..so naturally some things had to change to make everything flow and seem like it’s part of the same universe.
When the special editions were released (1997) there was no new universe to “expand”.
When the OT was released on DVD (2004), still no new unverse (at least no ROTS ending). So no, the special editions originally weren’t released to add to the story.
Lucas for some inexplicable reason thought that the OT needed to be enhanced, when clearly not. Those movies were part of cinematic history and were perfect as they were (even with the flaws).
Movies are not computer programs. You don’t come out with new, enhanced versions every couple of years. Movies are collaborative works of art that reflect the time and capabilities of filmmaking at the point of their release. And the award-winning work of the talented people who made Star Wars deserves to live on in perpetuity without a highly-flawed digitally enhanced version made 20-35 years later replacing it.
But..most of it is the same..they barley changed things. It’s not like they altered the damn movies. They made a creepy ewoke have the ability to blink. That’s good. Lol
Of course they altered the damn movies. You think that removing entire scenes, adding completely new ones and replacing a huge portion of the original effects work is not altering the movie? It’s throwing out work that won several Oscars in 1978.
Re: ” It’s throwing out work that won several Oscars in 1978″
Just curious – what Oscar winning material was thrown out?
I mean Seabastian Shaw’s Force Ghost was a great scene & all….
Star Wars won Oscars for the following, along with music:
Special Effects
Sound Design Special Achievement
Sound Editing
Costumes
Art Direction
Editing
All of the contributions of these Oscar winners was altered in one way or another by the Special Editions, including entire sequences completely thrown out.
You list is exactly ZERO example (evidence) of a specific “oscar winning” item that was removed.
Are you claiming ALL of the Oscars would not have been won had the SE been the original release? Some of them?
Don’t get point of your list nor what you’re specifically claiming was “Oscar worthy” that was *removed*.
No, you don’t get the point at all. What I’m saying is that work that people originally won Oscars for was discarded and/or highly altered. Specific examples would be removing any number of special effects shots, alterations to the film editing (adding unnecessary Jabba scene, and many other new changes that disrupted the film’s flow) The special edition was made 20 years after the original release. So the work that they won Oscars for was replaced with a highly altered version, thus making their work unable to be appreciated in its original state.
This guy explains it better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGrXO2RDzLg
Re: ” special edition was made 20 years after the original release”
Well, not to split hairs ( but to split hairs 😉 )… but I think they started work on the SE in like 1994-95 (/”made”) though released in 97… so started making them like about a dozen years after RotJ.
My point is just that I don’t believe enough was changed (removed!) to make the bold claim that all or even just one Oscar wouldn’t have been won.
Again – I get it, people don’t like the SE.
However, releasing an “directors cut” / “special edition” has become more commonplace.
In many cases critics & fans prefer the re-release, example (a few of my favourites): Blade Runner & The Abyss.
Some people have ONLY ever watched the SE versions of the movie. Those were shown at the theatre & released on home media.
The people who watched & enjoyed those alternate versions have just as much *right* to those as us fans who watched (in my case “grew up with”) the older versions.
I’d like to see both versions released – more options is normally a very good thing.
However, many people seem to act as if it’s some *right* to get a specific version of the film.
Some people would argue that versions that came after the original theatrical run (again – cases where it was re-released in theatres) were superior.
The solution is very simple: release both. But Lucas forbids that and wants to force everyone to accept his special edition as the only version of Star Wars.
Agreed – I’ll be the 1st to sign the petition for both. 😉
Genuine question here, do you feel the same way outside of the SW movies?
Blade Runner – Directors Cut?
The Abyss – Special Edition?
Trying to understand – do you think that the *new* versions should NOT be released (replaced by original going forward)? That ALL versions should be released in future media?
Blade Runner and Abyss SE versions coexist with the original versions. My argument is that the theatrical version of Star Wars is no longer accessible on a contemporary format, and Lucas stubbornly refuses to make it available, thus making the SE the only version. My question is that why can’t both versions be available? What harm does it do to anyone?
Fair enough.
See Crixxx, I actually agree with you on this – I’d love to see both versions exist.
I would like to have BOTH for my collection.
The interesting question is which version should go forward – for the 4K (well…UHD!) release & then…the eventual format the replaces that.
Again, I know that this will be considered blasphemy by many fans, which I consider myself to be a very rabid SW fan ( from watching ANH in theatres in 1977 -yes, I’m old 😉 )… but I’d be all for an “original cut” released alongside an updated (replacement!) SE: better/modern CGI. some editing (omg-Greedo!)…something where the gimmicky/cutesy stuff is toned down & yet the effects & aesthetic ties in well with PT & ST. Again, know that that’s probably considered blasphemy, but I’d be all for that. A new version for future fans & an original for purests (/posterity).
Most movies aren’t popping out sequels decades later..
Irrevevant
Very relevant..especially if you want all the Star Wars films to hold up the same in the future.
I liked some of the “continuity” stuff added, from locales (celebration) to ships (shuttle) that tie not just the OT to PT but even the OT movies together.
Honestly with some tweaks & updated CGI, I think that the SE could be (*gasp*!) a better way (particularly for future generations) to watch the movies.
It’s the job of people who make the sequels to make them hold up, not to retroactively keep altering the originals because you weren’t clever enough to write a sequel that made sense in correlation to the movies that preceded it.
See well now I think you’re asking for the impossible..how can you ask someone from the 70s to be responsible for making their films hold up for days like today..I don’t really think that’s fair considering the technological boundaries. Same as how I don’t hole the people today responsible to make their movies hold up for another 2 decades..who knows what technology will be available by then.
It’s ridiculous to suggest that a classic film does not “hold up” today because the special effects are dated by today’s standards. There are plenty of films made decades ago that still hold up today. The Godfather. Casablanca. The Wizard of OZ. And Star Wars is one of those films. Adding new special effects to a classic movie does not make it any more beloved, does not give it a better plot and characters, does not make the themes of the film more relevant and the film itself more endearing. A film is a product of the time in which it is released. Films should not be constantly revised over the course of decades, they should remain in their original state as cultural and artistic hallmarks of the time in which they were produced. Ironically, George Lucas himself argued this case in the 1980s, when Ted Turner wanted to colorize Casablanca and other classic black and white films.
K.
And again. Not a justification for altering a timeless, classic film. (The Godfather had 2 sequels, btw) If you want to make sequels, make them work with your existing film. Or else remake the original if you want to keep constantly altering it. After a while, it starts to become like a person addicted to plastic surgery.
The original versions of the OT hold up just fine and will continue to. If anything the Special Editions look more dated with poor CGI.
Yea if anything they created more work for themselves cause now they’re probably gonna have to polish and remaster the CG every so often.
Although I’d prefer they release a 4K version of the original versions, I don’t have a problem with the special editions’ enhancements.
What’s funny is that you don’t have the same people screaming – “George Lucas should be jailed for this!” doing the same for the COUNTLESS movies(including classics!) which DO NOT have modern 4K versions (or in many cases even 1080p bluray) in the works.
Let’s scream about all the other films not being scanned & restored – spread the love. 😉
It’s not a life or death issue, but there are many legit reasons for wanting a release of the pre-SE OT. Most of these you can find with a quick Google search. But I think the best reason is that they speak to a very specific time in the creative process. Films are art and are is rooted in the context in which they are created. The pre-SE OT represents the best that Lucas was able to do with the resources he had at the time. So, even their assumed shortcomings tell part of the story. And ultimately, it’s part of the OT’s charm.
Star Wars belonged to George Lucas. I entertained no silly (and arrogant) assumptions that these movies belonged to the fans or any other such nonsense. Despite their wild popularity, they don’t exist in the public domain. Maybe someday, but not now. We don’t share ownership of these movies. Not in any way. So, Lucas had every right to play with, edit, reedit, and alter his movies as he chose. Do I think it was a good idea? Nope. Does that matter? Not much, really.
Still, the unaltered OT does exist out there for those who wish to see it. It exists on VHS. It exists on Laserdisc. Those willing to fool with those old formats should be good to go. Better yet, there are some very high-quality fan edits online. So, it’s not like these movies are irretrievably lost. They’re out there to be watched. I do.
The infamous ‘rock’ addition was perhaps the moment when I realised that Lucas is mentally ill. There is no justification for adding that rock to the scene. There are literally hundreds of other more important tweaks that, although unnecessary, would make more sense. Was Lucas brooding over over adding that rock for 30+ years??? It’s just nuts. Unfortunately just another reason why I won’t buy a legitimate version of the films. The despecialized versions and Adywan’s superior versions are the only versions I consider worth owning. It’s just nuts that I cannot own a high quality version of my favourite film series.
Re: “The infamous ‘rock’ addition ”
That one seems like manufactured outrage…. did you actually even notice that change when you 1st watched the Special Edition of ANH? I sure didn’t.
As for the CGI – yeah, much looks dated now, but at the time it was fairly state-of-the-art.
Of course plenty of people noticed the rock. It takes up like 2/3 of the screen and is present in all of those R2 closeups.
No one noticed it when the SEs first came out, because it wasn’t added until 2011. The best theory I’ve seen for the rocks is that it was something that could easily pop out in the then-being-worked-on 3D remasters. This explains some of the other bizarre 2011 changes, such as Jabba’s Giant Door, and the Dug who crawls down his steps. Any CG added in 2011 could have been made to stand out in 3D.
Re: “No one noticed it when the SEs first came out”
I didn’t say that exactly. A decent # of people 1st watched SE on bluray release (people who didn’t buy/own DVD).
While I have pretty much ALL versions (media) released of the OT (including Definitive Collection on laserdisc) I didn’t notice the rock the 1st time I watched the bluray.
My point is that there’s a lot of “in hindsight” outrage, similar to PT. Things that didn’t bother people upon original viewing…but bothered them later (including after reading/watching fans complain about things).
I’d be curious to know, if it wasn’t pointed out to them beforehand…and you polled people after watching SE bluray (/2011) release “what was added?” how many would say – “a rock with R2 behind it!”. You think a vast majority would? I don’t.
I did notice it the first time I watched the 2011 SE. And along with all the other changes it annoyed me. I actually do not own any DVD or blu-ray versions of the OT because of the special edition changes. I only have the despecialized editions because they are frankly the best version of the OT available.
Re: “A New Hope 40th Anniversary poster art ”
Glad those were rejected – no Han Solo love on the posters = unacceptable!
I must admit I wouldn’t mind a new special edition addressing some of the concerns……..Han shit first…..cough……
Yes that was just strange..I’m not defending that..lol
Oops….bad typo lol
Re: “Han shit first”
Was that when he came around the corner to the hanger full of stormroopers?
lol – sorry about that.
Here’s the moment I thought you were referring to:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6aba26cdffe05e345c7c922d0958f280461b57f03a464530dcbfed8a917a584e.jpg
…been reading many of the comments. I think too many fans complain too much. Just relax. It’s not a big deal.
You speak the truth!!
When it comes to Star Wars, “too many fans complain too much” reads like the biggest understatement ever.
Let’s see the positive side: there will most likely be a 4K release of the awful 2011 SE in the near future, newly restored.
That means higher quality material for the fans to make the ultimate despecialized edition.
4K SE source + high quality scans of 35 mm original prints + a bit of color grading, and it’ll probably be better than anything they would have come up with anyway.
Yep. Can’t wait for Despecialized 3.0. I really hate George sometimes.
Ironically your screen name is one of my biggest issues. 😉
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O3u70WELSEg
Lmaoo sorry
No, it’s not exactly the same. i don’t think you really have an understanding of how much material was altered. Any new shot that replaced an old shot was removed from the films. The original Jabba’s Palace musical number was thrown out and replaced by an embarrassingly bad CGI sequence.
Re: “The original Jabba’s Palace musical number”
Ahhhh….now I see – it was the Jabba palace number that won sound editing & sound design. Or was it costumes?
Look, we get it many people don’t like the changes.
But the vast majority of what won the movies accolades (if not 100%) is still there.
That example wan’t in reference to the Oscar winning work – obviously.
Yes yes I’m very familiar with that they’ve done and though I don’t agree with most of them some of them were really nice additions.
Agreed with you.
Honestly I wouldn’t be against them making an Extra 😉 Special Edition – remove some of the dumb edits (*cough* Greedo & Hayden *cough*) & replace some of the outdated CGI with updated (again for sake of *blending* with PT or even ST, only if minor & made sense).
I know that this opinion will make many rabid fans heads explode… but I’d be all for a cleaned-up/modernized SE version. And…yes, having the original edit available (make it a dual disc release with both).
Yea take it the Greedo nonsense but I would keep Hayden..especially if they’re planning on making Anakin show up as a force ghost in the ST
Fine. Not advocating against the existence of the SE. Just advocating for the originals to be made available. No real reason why it can’t be done apart from Lucas’ unreasonable stubbornness.
“The Making of Rogue One book has been planned for an Oct. 3”
And what about The Making of TFA?? I think J.W. Rinzler said the book was canceled back in August 2016…but why? Have we heard a reason from Lucasfilm or the publisher?
Most likely because of spoilers for TLJ I would assume
Truth.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a making of the sequel trilogy or of each movie is released after episode 9
Carrie pics –
(*sigh*) … every time that I see a new pic of Carrie, that I’d never seen before, it makes me sad.
These particularly so, as they seem to be personal collection family pics of Billie’s.
Gads…just thinking about it, I’m predicting I’ll get choked-up seeing Carrie in EpVIII. Don’t make me cry in the theatre Rian!
I try to think of it as, if George would have made the original trilogy in the early 2000s then they would look like the special editions do now. He knew his technological limitations at the time. Who’s to say he didn’t plan on tweaking the movies in the future all along?
If only there was another Star Wars movie in production right now to fit the rumors of casting extras…
You can say his name, we all know: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/59878b73608680ef38a30ba642cb833b1b5cedf781c304bdfd4c425c49f7d787.png
Always get the feeling watching his vids, that he, like a few of the more popular Star Wars YouTubers just turn their camera on, and brainlessly talk about stuff.
Better to watch people like Stupendous Wave or Dash Star, who actually sit, think through a topic, take a considered educated approach to it, while weighing it against realistic expectations (not fanboy masturbation) in discussion with their audience.
No original version release? Not a problem. The internet already painstakingly restored the original versions. Just search for “Harmy’s despecialized edition”.
Because the changes are crap. We want the original version.
It’s amazing that I bought a DVD player in 1998 solely for the Original Versions. 19 years and still waiting….
I still have my VHS unaltered versions recorded from catalan channel in the late 80′. Just have to connect VHS player again. No big deal , it has autotracking lol
I’m pretty sure there are some VHS copies someplace in the house……going to need to start searching.
Back in the early 80’s my dad had a VHS recorder and taped Star Wars, Empire, and Jedi off HBO on to a tape for me as a kid….I almost wore that tape out…but still have it! 🙂 Yea, I would love to them to release it, but I know what they would say….CANON!!!! WE MUST PRESERVE CANON!